The transformation is nearly complete. Inside the former Laborers’ Hall at 2023 Atwood Avenue, the smell of fresh primer fills the air. MadCity Music Exchange owner Dave Zero, his mother and his crew are busy painting and arranging record racks. A crew hauls in loads of the store’s more than 20,000 vinyl records from MadCity’s longtime location at the Gateway Mall on Williamson Street.

The store has served up new and used music from CDs to vinyl to 8-tracks and been a Willy Street hub for 20 years. It will close on May 25 for the move and officially re-open at the new location on May 27.

This will be the third stop for MadCity since the store opened in 1980 on Regent Street. At 1,400 square feet, the new space has 200 square feet more than the current store. Large windows on both ends of the store let in natural light, which is accentuated by track lighting. And in a neighborhood where lack of parking is a concern, on-site parking can be found outside.

While Zero’s mom and volunteer, Penny, prepares to paint record racks, Zero ducks out for a beer with an Isthmus reporter. “This is the first time I’ve sat down all day,” he says. “This is fantastic.”

After 20 years in one place, Zero believes the relocation is the right thing to do. “I’ve never been terrified of the idea of change, as long as you can do it right,” he says.

When the new lease was signed, Zero met with Gary Feest, owner of Sugar Shack Records, which is five blocks away from the new MadCity shop. “I’ve known him for years,” Zero says. “He just said ‘cool,’ and we kept drinking and bullshitting. We do the same stuff, but differently.” (Most of Sugar Shack’s stock is used vinyl, CDs and other media.)

Zero says he will look for ways for MadCity to become involved in community events, including AtwoodFest, the neighborhood fundraiser/music festival, and develop relationships with nearby neighbors like the Barrymore Theatre.

A grand opening celebration is planned for late summer or early fall. Says Zero: “We aren’t losing a neighborhood, just swapping.”